September 10, 2012 at
7:20 AM

A few weeks back, I wrote about the position player prospects pushing towards the majors in the upper levels of the organization and touched on the overall depth within the system. Don’t worry, I didn’t forget about the young crop in the lower levels. Let’s take a look at that group and how the development played out in 2012.

Assessment: Just when Cecchini was beginning to put things together in his debut season with Lowell during 2011, he suffered a broken bone in his hand leading to some lost development time. Looking noticeably more filled out in the lower body down at spring training, Cecchini continued to show a sweet swing from the left side of the plate and the ability to square the ball up with backspin. When I caught him during my swing down through the southern affiliates the big thing that stuck out was the improvement on the defensive side of the game. Previously scouting on the rigid side and slow with his reads, Cecchini was much more fluid and quicker with his reactions. He still has some work ahead of him, but I see the potential to round into a solid-average-to-better defender at the position. While he is rough with breaking balls, he stays back well on fastballs and is willing to work deep into counts. The swing can get messy at times though. It’s something for him to continue to work on as he progresses into High A next season. Cecchini has the strength and batspeed to drive the ball into both gaps. He needs work improving the leverage created at the point of contact, but I see the raw power to develop into an 18-20 home run hitter as he matures. Progress picking up breaking balls quicker out of opposing pitchers’ hands will help him transition more quickly into the Carolina League. Cecchini’s a developing position player, who made good strides in 2012 while picking up valuable experience in his first full professional season.

Assessment: Spring training gave an initial glimpse at De La Cruz before the season started and there was a noticeable change. More filled out in the upper body, he drove a handful of balls hard into both gaps with lift during my time scouting down in Fort Myers. In the midst of a solid first half with Greenville during my trip south, I wanted to really zone in on him. Another noticeable improvement was the increased batspeed. De La Cruz had always created leverage with his swing, at times with too much upper-cut, but he didn’t generate as much batspeed in 2011 with Lowell. He was also using his hands more to get the barrel on offerings and drive them. The upper-cut in his swing gives me hesitation when looking at how much solid contact he can make as the level of competition rises. De La Cruz is also more of a free swinger, with a strong need to shrink down his strike zone and not expand so often. He got away with it against the pitching in A-Ball when I scouted him. It will be something to continue to watch and see how he is progressing with in 2013. De La Cruz was a center fielder leading up to 2012, but shifted into left field this season with the increased bulk. It will be interesting to see if he shifts back into center field at some point because he could hold his own at the position. Presently, I see a projection as a potential fourth outfielder at the big league level. That projection is something I’m looking to continue to evaluate through scouting opportunities in 2013.

Assessment: Upon first glance at his statistical line, I can see why there may be some questions as to why I’ve placed Swihart in the “moving forward” category. First, he has a lot of hitting talent. The switch hitter shows a fluid swing from both sides of the plate, along with some really quick hands that allow him to efficiently bring the head of the bat to the point of contact. I got my first look at Swihart down at last year’s Fall Instructs and when I scouted him in 2012, he again showed the feel for hitting. He is capable of turning on offerings and also can stay back to drive balls hard into the left-center field gap. Swihart is raw with his pitch recognition, however. That led to his inconsistency this season. Breaking balls give him a lot of trouble and he has yet to develop his strike zone. Given the hitting talent, with strides in these areas through experience and repetition I feel he can begin to show as a developing plus hitter for average, with average-to-better power. Swihart will need to add strength, not only for his offense, but also to aid with his defense. He’s athletic behind the dish, showing quick reactions, fluid movement, and a plus arm. The added strength will help him deal with the wear and tear at the position. I’m mixed on whether he will stick at the position in the long-term, but I saw developing skills behind the dish. He took the first steps this season at learning how to play catcher professionally, which I feel is big for his overall development in the early career.

Assessment: “Slow and steady” is the best way to presently describe Vinicio’s development. He stayed back in Extended Spring Training the last couple of years due to a big need for physical development. Vinicio showed the raw skills in the past to keep up with the older players, but the body was not ready to handle the rigors of a full season until this year. Though he still dealt with a shoulder injury this year and logged about two-thirds of the plate appearances he was expected to see. Vinicio is a high energy player, who plays the game with enthusiasm. He has some tools too. Natural and fluid at shortstop, he has above-average range, an improving arm, and the instincts to anticipate the path of the ball off the bat. He needs to slow the game down defensively to eliminate the careless errors, but I see plus potential with the glove. Vinicio also shows some hitting tools, generating solid batspeed as a lefty. When scouting him this year and in the past, he consistently showed the ability to turn around good fastballs on a line. The pitch recognition and discipline are below-average, and were challenged by his placement in A-Ball this season. The big need is the physical development. If Vinicio can fill out more into his early-to-mid-twenties, he can project as a contact hitter at either the top or bottom of a lineup. Power is never going to be his game. Vinicio may return to Greenville in 2013 to log more plate appearances in an environment he is familiar with, but this shouldn’t be seen as a knock given the rawness in the 19-year-old’s game.

Assessment: Jacobs is a prospect whose raw tools I have always been high on. As he began to gain experience playing baseball full-time and focusing his off-season workouts on baseball, he made some strong strides both with his skills and body composition. Last season, Jacobs swing looked much better than it did after he initially signed. There was above-average batspeed and an ability to cover the plate. My main note on him after scouting spring training this year was that he was going to need to adjust to better breaking balls. Jacobs showed a tendency to get too far out on his front foot, while also bringing his hands forward prematurely. That carried over when I watched him in High A. There was a lot of indecisiveness, leading to weak or waiving swings. Jacobs’ swing also didn’t look quite as fluid. He got beat by fastballs and overall it was slower. Now, he dealt with a hand injury for a large portion of the season, which obviously had an effect on him. However, independent of that, the pitch recognition did hinder him. Jacobs has plus raw power and the ability to drive the ball. Thus far in his career, he’s made strides improving his hitting skills too. This year saw him hit some resistance though, with adjustments needed in 2013. The work he has to go with his pitch recognition will make it interesting as to whether he makes the jump to Double-A or returns to High A to start the season.

Assessment: Coyle was age-advanced in High A this season and that advancement showed when scouting him. The biggest thing that jumped out was how far behind the speed of the game he was. Coyle’s a good fastball hitter, but secondary offerings really gave him trouble. He had a very tough time picking them up, leading to a lot of weak contact or swings-and-misses against them. Coyle didn’t have much of a chance of driving them due to his hips opening early and being fooled considerably. However, he does have a quick swing. When staying back, especially against fastballs on the inner third, he can put a charge into the ball. Reports from later in the season indicated Coyle was looking more comfortable at the plate and having better at-bats. I don’t think he is ready to make the jump to Double-A though. He needs to show more consistency handling secondary stuff and also more of an opposite field stroke. Coyle’s a pull hitter, with some holes in his swing due to a lack in coverage of the outer third. He still has to learn what type of professional hitter he is, which can be expected from a player still relatively early in his career. 2013 is going to focus on how Coyle is progressing with his development needs. His projection as a major leaguer hinges on the offensive progression.

Assessment: The organization made Marrero their first pick in this year’s draft and signing early led to being able to get the initial look at him with Lowell during the summer. He’s an athletic player, with smooth actions and strong instincts for the game. There is not much room on his frame to fill out, but that means he also isn’t likely to outgrow the shortstop position. Marrero shows solid defensive tools, highlighted by quick feet, fluid motions, and a plus arm when he needs it. He can round into a solid-average-to-better defender. He did get a little lazy in the field at times though, with his focus drifting. At the plate, Marrero has a compact swing, with quick hands that he is capable of pulling in to clean the ball out. His swing is on the level side, but can produce backspin. He has the eye to differentiate pitches and ability to go deep into counts. Again, at times he drifted with his concentration, leading to instances of giving away some at-bats. Marrero is not going to show much power, but can develop into a gap hitter. I saw the need to show the willingness to hit to all fields, which is going to be important for showing the hit tool to produce enough hard contact. 2013 will serve to continue to build the base on Marrero and where his early development is heading.